


THE G. I. JOES ARE BACK!

by ArashikageGirl



Category: Fast and the Furious Series, G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Genre: Action, G. I. Joe - Freeform, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-21 18:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1559348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArashikageGirl/pseuds/ArashikageGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This takes place after Retaliation. Layla Fernandes, a street racer and a ninja at the Arashikage Dojo (formerly), decides to help her fellow Joes take down Cobra Commander once and for all.</p><p>Along the way, she is reunited with her former clan mate and crush, Storm Shadow (Tommy Arashikage) who is still the mischievous boy she knew whenever he was around her. </p><p>Despite the bitterness that she still feels of what happened in the past, she seems to slowly forgive Storm Shadow for his past mistakes and the hurt he had given her before. Will they be able to put aside their differences and start over again? Or would they just remain bitter frenemies until the end? </p><p>Read to find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Street Queen of Rio de Janeiro

**Author's Note:**

> I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE G. I. JOE AND F&F CHARACTERS. 
> 
> I only own Layla Fernandes. She's just a made-up character from my imagination. Hehe.. :DD
> 
> There are some Fast and the Furious stints here since I made Layla a street racer. But the characters of FTF are gonna almost always be in every scene. They're main so yeah. :DD
> 
> READ AND ENJOY! POST A COMMENT BELOW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!! :DD

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

Great. Just great. A few minutes before the race starts, I get a call from Roadblock saying that I'm needed for something important at the Pit. Seriously.

As a girl like me who loves to street race and retain my title as the Street Queen of Rio de Janeiro, I must finish what's needed to be finished here before anything else. To be honest, I haven't been training for quite some time because I was focused on racing and helping some of my friends save the world. Not all the time, though. I was just support and I didn't really want to that badly.

"Hey." Brian calls, coming over. I sigh. What is it now?

"Bro, it's a few minutes before the race. I gotta prep myself. I just got a call from Roadblock, one of my fellow Joes. Needed at the base." I said. "Woah, woah! Just wanna wish you luck before the race. Seems that call got you distracted." he said, chuckling.

"Dude, not funny. Yes, I'm already distracted. What if it's something bad? I mean London's in pretty bad shape right now. I miss drifting there." I said, giving a slight pout.

My brother laughed. "You miss London cause you can't drift anymore at that place? Yeah, it's pretty bad though. A lot of lives were lost."

I nodded in reply. "Racers, places!!" a woman yelled.

I looked to Brian and jerked my head to the stands. "Gotta race. Mia's waiting for you over there." I said. Brian looked over to the stands and saw his wife, Mia Toretto, waving at him over the stands with baby boy Jack, their child. "Okay. I'll be seeing you after. I'm pretty sure your gonna win despite the slight distraction." he joked. In response, I rolled my eyes at him.

I looked at who my competitors were. Yuki Kimura, my rival; Joseph Lee, a competitor from New Orleans; and Shailey Lucas, daughter of Henry Lucas who is a powerful drug dealer.

Since it's my first time to race in Tokyo, I don't really know what the outcome of the race would be. I knew how Yuki drives. I practically had most of my races with her. Sometimes, we'd be in good terms and sometimes not. Whilst the other two, I have no clue how they drive. I know who they are, but don't know their strength and weaknesses on the road. I gotta keep close attention and not let my guard down at the same time.

"Welcome to the annual Tokyo drag race 2014!!! Our competitors from different states and 2 of them are well-known in the drag race industry! First up, Yuki Kimura, Racing Dragon of China and Japan! Next is a tenacious newbie, Shailey Lucas! Joseph Lee, a confident competitor from New Orleans! And last but not the very least, Layla Fernandes! Street Queen of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil!!"

Cheers erupted from the stands and I couldn't help but wave at them and give a smile at my brother's way in which he responded with a thumbs up. Despite that I hate intro's for some damn reason, I can't help but feel the support of my brother, friends and all those other people who supports me.

"Racers! Streets are a little on edge tonight! Gotta be careful out there." the girl warned. Say what? The streets? Wonder what happened..but what is this feeling? I feel like someone's watching me from afar. "Ready!..." she shouted. I gripped the steering wheel hard. No time for distractions. I gave Yuki a quick glance. She did the same. "Steady..." I braced myself. I gotta launch and drift at the right time or I'm screwed. Ride or die, must remember that. "GO!!!!"

We four launched at the same time. Well, the other two must be good. I noticed the streets had some construction going on. This was what that girl meant. Oh well. My new strategy was to fall behind these three racers and accelerate at the right time to catch them off guard. Yuki would probably not notice. I minimized my speed and fell behind. Brian and the others must be wondering why I'd done that. I'd explain it to them later.

We zoomed past the Imperial Palace and knowing that the finish line was about 2 minutes away. Time to use accelerate using nitro boost. I breathed in and out. I should be cautious and take control or I could get off road and lose the race. I've never done this before but it's now or never. I sped up and pressed a green button which was for the boost.

My car accelerated at it's highest and I gripped the steering wheel tightly and knowing that I was in control I was able to speed past them and do a roundabout turn just to show off. Well, that's me. When it comes to racing, I give everything I've got.

Before I knew it. I crossed the finish line. First place. Damn, I'm just good at strategies. The crowd cheered and Brian got off the stands and was running towards me with a big smile on his face. In return, I gave him a soft, but triumphant smile.

"Way to go little sis!! You're definitely a pro at this! I'm proud of you!" he said, giving me a big hug. "Thanks Brian. I really appreaciate the support you guys are giving me." I replied.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Yuki approaching. I pulled out of Brian's hug and gave my rival a smile. In return, she did the same. But it wasn't one of those fake smiles she'd usually give me. It was real..and soft. "Hey, congrats. Never thought I'd lose in Tokyo once. It just really shows that you're very talented. You took the girl's warning seriously. I didn't think of a strategy like that. Nice job. But I'll definitely make up for it next time." she said, extending her hand for a shake.

I looked at her outstretched hand. I gave her a big smile and we shook. "Nice race too. I'll be looking forward to it." I replied. She gave me another smile and left.

I watched her retreating figure and thought that maybe she wasn't so bad. In time, maybe we could become friends instead of being only rivals. I sighed contentedly. "Well, that girl's got sportsmanship." my brother said. "Yeah, she does. We could get along someday..." I said.

Brian ruffled my hair and I shoved him. He laughed. Then, the gang were approaching us. "Congrats bestie!!! I knew you could do it." Gisele said gleefully. I gave her a hug. "Yeah, you were right."

"Dude, let's race sometime. I bet $2000 on that." Roman said. I rolled my eyes. Seriously. Oh well.

"You've really come a long way Layla. We're all proud of you and happy that you're a part of this family." Dom said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded. "Yeah, me too. I'm thankful for what you've all done for me and the support as well."

We all laughed and decided to have dinner somewhere. Then, my phone suddenly rang. I looked at who's the caller. Roadblock. Oh damn, I completely forgot. I quickly answered and explained to him that I was done with my business and asked what was so urgent that I'm needed at the Pit.

"Layla, I know you're in Tokyo right now. Go to the dojo and join Snake Eyes and Jinx. You three will go to the base. We really need your help. We have to put a stop to Cobra Commander once and for all." he said, over the phone.

My eyes widened. "I understand. I'll be heading there straightaway." I said, before putting off the call.

I sighed and turned to my confused family. "Guys, let's put this celebration on hold. You can go on ahead and eat somewhere. I'm needed at the Pit. I have to go to the Arashikage dojo right now."

"Is something wrong? We'll accompany you." Tej offered.

"Yeah, like putting a stop to that bastard Cobra Commander and saving the world. This doesn't really involve cars sadly." I joked.

Mia took my hand. "Layla, remember we're a family and we'd love to help you through this. We'll do anything we can to help." "I would love to but I can't stand the fact that you guys would put your life on the line. I can do this. I'm also a ninja after all." I replied.

"Layla, don't be modest about this. As Mia said, we're a family. When one of us is in danger, we help each other out. The G. I. Joe's are also your family. That also makes us connected to each other as comrades. What do you say?" he prodded.

Dom was a wise person. He knew how to say things. I nodded in reply. They were right. I couldn't do this alone without them.

I made another quick call to Roadblock asking if he wanted some extra people who rides cars like a pro. He was thrilled and said yes.

"What are we waiting for guys? Let's do this!"


	2. Arashikage: A Confession & Life Outside the Dojo

We were on our way to the dojo. I was driving my red porsche. Gisele, my best friend, was sitting beside me while staring out the window. Her boyfriend, Han Lue, was sitting at the back munching on chips. The others were in their own vehicles trailing behind me since I was the only one who knew the way.

"So, what exactly happens when we get there?" Han asked. To think about it, what exactly would happen? I knew Storm Shadow could be there. He betrayed Cobra and sided with the Joes. But from what I heard, he had his purposes for doing so and wouldn't aid them much after that, which was very much true because I knew the whole story. I just didn't want to have a run-in with him. Things could get awkward. After that last encounter, like, what? 17 years ago? What I'd witnessed and what I'd promised to Storm Shadow, I had hope that things would turn out positive in the end. That everything would be all right. But after what had transpired ever since he left, broke my heart. What literally and nearly drove me insane was that he had to sacrifice a lot. Like, he had nanomites injected in his body just to find the killer in Cobra. He had to be all evil and destroy Paris and that he was the cause of the destruction of the Eiffel Tower. Like, that was my favorite place of all time!! He knows that I've always wanted to go to Paris! But now that I remembered he had some of his memories mixed up and taken away because of those fucking nanomites. Ugh! I don't know anymore.

I shrugged at Han. "I'm not really sure. All I know is that we're needed. Something big is gonna happen. That's what I'm sure about. We just have to meet Snake Eyes and Jinx at the dojo. The Blind Master might have a talk with me though. We'll see when we get there."

Gisele turned to look at me. "You're not worried about running into that guy, are you?" she asked. I raised a brow at her. "What are you talking about? If you mean him, no. I'm not. Why'd you ask?"

Gisele gave me a little shrug. "It's nothing. I just wanted to know." she replied.

Han leaned forward and looked between us. "What guy? Am I missing something here?" he asked curiously.

I rolled my eyes. Gisele had to ask while Han was here and knowing that the guy is full of curiosity. "Han, he's just someone I used to know. He's a ninja like me. That's all there is to it. I don't have any history with that guy if that's what you're curious about." I replied, keeping calm to the fact that I'm even thinking about that bastard.

"No history? Are you sure?" Gisele jokingly asked, giving me a slight nudge. Han raised an eyebrow at me. Ugh, seriously. These two won't quit. Gisele practically knows the whole story behind that. Well, what are best friends for? We tease each other. I can't do anything about that. Damn the traffic. I want to get out of this ASAP!!

"Guys, look. There is nothing that you two should know about. I swear, okay?" I said, hoping they'd get the hint.

Gisele wasn't convinced. Neither was Han. "We'll see when we get there." she said, turning back to stare out the window.

"You're not even sure if he's gonna be there, my dear." I said, sarcastic evident in my tone. Gisele gave a laugh. Han was confused. "Wait, I still don't know what the guy's name is." he said.

Gisele chuckled at Han's amusing statement. I sighed. "Whatever, Han. Just give it a break, will ya?"

We finally arrived at the dojo. We all got out of the car and made our way to the entrance. Brian suddenly pulled me to the side. I gave a little jerk, surprised at his sudden action. "Hey, bro. What's up? You scared me."

Brian let go of me and scratched his head. "Sorry, sis. I thought I need to give you a heads up."

I raised my brow. "On what? Something I should know?"

Brian looked at the rooftop. I did the same. No one was there. I looked at him weirdly. "Did you see an intruder or something?" I asked, a bit worried.

Brian shook his head. "Nope. No intruder. It's just that I saw a guy in all white at the rooftop. He saw our arrival. I think it was that guy you want to avoid so badly. And, he's disappeared all of a sudden." he said, giving me a small smile.

My eyes widened. I was so not ready for a reunion. Not now. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna flip when I see him. "Are you sure it was a guy in all white? You're not having illusions, are you?" I asked.

Brian sighed. "No, Layla. I'm not having these illusions of seeing this guy. I don't have the power to see ghosts, okay? He's a ninja that disappears quickly. Aren't they like that? Aren't you like that?"

"Okay, okay. Fine. I believe you. I'll just have to keep my cool and try to avoid him. Thanks for the heads up. We should go, they're waiting." I said, pulling Brian back to the gang who were waiting at the steps and curious about our conversation.

We all started trudging up the steps. When we got to the front doors, we were greeted by the guards. They opened the doors and inside we were also greeted by Snake Eyes. I gave him a big hug. We haven't seen each other for a long while and it somewhat felt good to be back.

Snake Eyes led us to the gardens and Blind Master was there waiting with Jinx at his side. No sign of Storm Shadow. I smiled at Jinx in greeting. She did the same. We approached the Blind Master and I bowed. The usual Japanese greeting. "Blind Master, it's been awhile."

The Blind Master smiled in response. "Yes, it has. We've all missed you. The dojo has been quiet for a long time." he said, giving a light laugh.

I heard the others snickering behind and I gave them a glare. That shut them up. I huffed. "Guys, this is the Blind Master, Snake Eyes, and Jinx. Blind Master, I want you to meet my family-slash-friends, my brother, Brian O'Connor. He adopted me." I said, dragging my brother and gave him a slight push. He raised an eyebrow at my action and I shrugged him off.

Brian went to shake their hands and the Blind Master smiled. "So, this is your brother. I'm happy to meet you." My brother smiled in return. "Pleasure's mine."

I turned to Gisele. "My best friend Gisele Harabo. We've been friends since college." Gisele went to give them a hug. "My mentor and brother-figure, Dom Toretto and his sister and lovely wife of my big brother, Mia Toretto. They also both have a son Jack O'Connor." They both approached and shook their hands. "This is also Han Lue, Gisele's boyfriend. Letty Ortiz, Dom's girlfriend and a good friend of mine as well. And the two people who annoy me the most to no end, Roman Pearce and Tej Parker." I finished. Tej snorted, Roman rolled his eyes and gave me a playful nudge.

After they gave each other their greetings, everything went silent. The Blind Master became serious. "You got a call from Roadblock, yes?" he asked. I nodded. "What's the urgent matter?"

"As you know Cobra Commander is on the loose. He has another hidden base somewhere in the States. We don't know what the location is yet. But we have some help. I also need you to help the Joes in this mission. Cobra has destroyed London. We have to stop them at all costs. Put an end to this chaos. We need all the help we can get and work together." the Blind Master explained.

"We'll do everything we can. It's a good thing these guys wanted to tag along." I said. The Blind Master nodded, pleased.

"Stay here for the night. You and the others can head out tomorrow to the Joe Base. Storm Shadow is also here with us, just so you should know." he added.

I completely froze. So, it's true he was here. God damn it! Although, I was expecting something like this could happen anytime. Storm Shadow was no longer a threat to the world. After he revealed the truth, after so many goddamn years, was free to roam and come back to the dojo if he wanted to. But he had to be careful of Cobra operatives on the hunt to get him back. Pssh, as if!

I regained my composure quickly and nodded. "I see. Is there anything else needed to be discussed before we head in?" I questioned.

"Yes, but only I need to speak with you. The rest of you can head in. Good night and I will see all of you in the morning before your departure. You may now go. It was a pleasure meeting you all." he said, looking at my friends direction. They all smiled at him and left with Snake Eyes and Jinx. Gisele lingered behind them and gave me the you-better-tell-me-everything-when-you-get-back look. I gave her a small smile before turning back to him.

"Layla, we haven't seen each other for quite awhile. Let's have a talk about what you've been doing." he said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I smiled and gave a nod. We both sat on the grass and the both of us silent for five minutes. I started, "So, where to start? A lot has transpired after I left. It's quite hard to explain everything. There's a ton to tell you."

The Blind Master chuckled. "Well, it seems you've finally come to terms with who you are and what you want to do in life. Just tell me what you can tell me now."

I huffed. "Okay. So, before I tell you, I just want to confess something. I do hope Storm Shadow is not in hearing range right now. Wherever he is here.." I trailed off.

He smiled. "No worries. Even if I cannot see, I would know if he's within hearing range. But I assure you, he's not. But he's somewhere around the place. Go on." he ushered me.

"When the Hard Master was killed, you all thought at that time, Storm Shadow was the killer. I saw the whole thing. I was a witness." I paused, looked at my master. He nodded. I continued.

"What I saw, one thing in my mind was telling me I had to tell someone and get help. But he stopped me. Tommy told me not to say a thing to anyone. He promised me, he would find the killer and wouldn't be back for awhile...and being the naive kid I was before, I agreed. I've regretted my choice of waiting and not doing anything, to pretend he was a shame to the Arashikage clan until I've heard news that he joined the Cobra organization. I knew one thing. He sacrificed a lot. He even went that far to have nanomites injected in his system. He must've forgotten a few good memories and some were replaced with something bad. I've pretty much done my research on what those things can do to a person. I nearly went insane that even happened. That's why I left. I needed to be free of the guilt I felt inside." I paused agin, holding my chest.

I closed my eyes and remembered of what I've been through. Nightmares that haunted me of the time that the Hard Master was killed. That I didn't do anything or tell anyone of what I saw. I felt like I was a criminal myself. My eyes started to water but I blinked them away quickly. "Even though Tommy and I were always fighting or bickering, we were close in some way. We had this friendship that is quite different from others. Heck, he even considered me much more of a threat to him than Snake Eyes. Talk about immature!" I tattled.

The Blind Master gave a laugh. "I see you've been through a lot. I understand why you kept it a secret. You cared for him as your friend and comrade and believed that things would be all right when he returned to prove himself to the clan. But, it took longer than expected. I'm sorry for not sensing you're grief in your heart. Now I understand why you left." he said softly.

"Yeah, that's why. But it's a good thing I did. Or I wouldn't be able to meet the people I've brought here. They really changed me. I was finally able to know what I can do and what I'm capable of. This might sound boyish but I really love fast cars." I said, grinning. The Blind Master smiled back.

"At 18, a year after I left the dojo, I met Brian O'Connor at a local restaurant. He used to be a cop, but in the end he joined Dom Toretto and dragged me with him because he adopted me as his little sister. He didn't have any siblings and his parents are divorced. He adopted me because he knew my problems and we'd also been best friends ever since. He also knew I was going nowhere with life in Tokyo." I explained, remembering the memory.

_**FLASHBACK** _

_**TOKYO, JAPAN (LOCAL RESTAURANT)** _

_I was having sushi for dinner and reading the newspaper. "M.A.R.S Technology Revealed". It read. I read the contents of the article. Supposed to be Cobra and M.A.R.S are related. If I had enough savings, I would have gone there straightaway to do my research on what they really are planning. I could pose as a visitor or something._

_I heard someone opening the door. I looked up. It was a guy with blonde hair and wearing sunglasses. He took a seat the counter and I just decided to resume my reading._

_After 30 minutes of reading the paper and eating my dinner, 2 burly men with a skinny dide in a suit approached the guy with sunglasses at the counter. I could hear their discussion despite their hushed voices._

_""O'Connor. We had a deal. Why is McDonnel still on the run and robbing cash out of the banks?? You want your price to be higher or what?" the skinny dude barked._

_The blonde called O'Connor took off his sunglasses and sighed. "Then what is this I hear about you sending McDonnel himself to frame me and get me locked up in jail for more than 10 years?" he retaliated._

_"What are you talking about O'Connor? I sent you to track him down and get rid of him. Whatever that guy told you, he is fond of telling lies to get you out of his way. I can prove it myself!" the skinny dude argued._

_"Fuck off Cleary. I'm done with this. Deal's off." O'Connor stated, getting off his chair and headed for the door. His path was blocked by those burly men. I watched, does he need help? Wait, why should I? I don't even know the blonde dude. But obviously, Cleary's at fault. I could see it in his face._

_"Get out of my way. I still have patrolling to do." O'Connor said through gritted teeth. "If you say the dela's off, then deal's off. That's what you want, anyway. But I can't let you go out there and tattle to the world, no? Men. Take care of him." Cleary said, with a snap of a finger._

_My eyes widened as those burly men took hold of O'Connor and out the door in a flash. I looked at Cleary. He was looking back at me and gave a knowing smile and walked out the door._

_I raised a brow at his smile. Was he expecting something to happen? I looked around the restaurant. The people seemed oblivious to the silent chaos that just happened now. I looked at my good friend, Matsumoto. A chef at this restaurant and I'm practically a regular that's why we talk often during closing time._

_He gave me a look that he witnessed everything and nodded his head to do something about it. He knew I was a ninja from the Arashikage clan and the policy of our clan despite that I had left, was to help those who are in times of trouble and need. I sighed to myself. Yeah, I couldn't bear to think that something bad was gonna happen to the guy. When he said 'patrolling', I think the guy's an american cop._

_I took my sword, left some cash and headed out in the streets. I looked around and saw a dark alley. I went there and true enough, there was O'Connor, fighting with both men and Cleary watching the fight. It was obvious he couldn't overpower them since he wasn't so bulky like The Rock from WWE. Yes, I secretly watch those on my IPad back in the dojo. But he had muscles and not the bulkiness. Gotta swoop in._

_I pulled out both of my swords and surprising the two bulky men, I slashed their knees, arms and chest and knocked them both out._

_O'Connor was as shocked as I was. I gave him a glance and stared down at Cleary. He gave a slow clap. "My, my. My instincts are correct. You do have talent. You must a skilled ninja from a clan." he said, grinning._

_I scoffed. "That's because you saw my sword leaning on the table. If you hadn't seen it, then you'd be much more shocked as those men who are now lying on the bloody ground. "_

_"True. You're skills are impressive. Why not I let this cop go and let him off the hook and I offer you a job deal?" Cleary offered._

_I twiddled a shuriken in my hands and did a little walk around the pavement. "A job deal, you say? Like, do dangerous missions that include killing your enemies and getting a big sum of money as a reward and not to mention swear loyalty by means of a contract? Am I right?" I asked nonchalantly._

_Cleary nodded. "Indeed, it is. So, are you considering the offer? You don't have to answer right away. I'll give you enough time for you to think about it."_

_I gave him a smile. "Tempting offer. There's no need to think about it." I said, slowly approaching him. "You know it's a great deal. The price just needs to be right. I'm 17 after all and I have my needs." I said, giving him a knowing look._

_He nodded. "That can be discussed. So, is it a yes?" he asked, hope evident in his eyes._

_I gave him another smile. "Technically, it's a downright no. I. Will. Never. Become. Like. Him!" I exclaimed, enunciating every word in my last sentence before knocking him out to the cold ground._

_I breathed heavily. I felt hot tears coming to my eyes. I looked up at the sky. It started raining quite hard. I knelt on the ground and stared at it. Just even thinking about him made my heart shatter into a million pieces all over again. Screw that!_

_I felt a jacket envelop me from behind. I sighed. At least the guy has a heart._

_"Thanks for the jacket. You should get going and call the police. The Japanese should handle this situation. Give in your documents for proof of your innocence and you'll be fine." I said._

_"Well, you'd think I'd leave you here drenched in the rain after saving my life? Think again." he said, helping me stand up. "Let's find some shelter."_

_We can come back to the restaurant. I have a good friend there. It's almost closing time anyway." I replied._

_"Yeah, sure." he said, with a nod._

_We made our way back to the restaurant with a few more customers left inside. Matsumoto caught my eye and looked at O'Connor. He made a gesture to go at the back room. I nodded._

_"There's a room at the back of the kitchen. We'll stay there for the meantime." I said._

_When we got there, I sat on a chair and dried myself with a towel. He sat on the bed, looking downwards and lost in thought._

_After a few minutes of not speaking, he broke the silence. "Thanks for the save back there. I owe you one. I'm Brian O'Connor. A cop in Los Angeles."_

_I folded my arms over my chest. "Layla Fernandes. I'm just a wanderer around Tokyo." I replied to his greeting._

_Brian shot up an eyebrow. "A wanderer? You don't have a place or something? Isn't this your place?" he asked._

_I shook my head. This guy was bound to ask a lot of questions. "I do have a place. I rent an apartment around here. But since I just wander around Tokyo from morning until midnight, I guess I can call myself a wanderer. I train sometimes. But that's about it. My life has already been planned out. Nothing exciting much."_

_This time, he scrutinized me closely. "That's it? That's what you'll do for the rest of your life? The same routine everyday?" he asked incredulously._

_I nodded again. "I've lost the will to live the life I wanted. I don't know who I really am or what I want to do in my life. But I do want to do one thing before I die. Thing is, I can't share it with you. It's something I keep to myself only. Hope you'll understand." I said nonchalantly._

_"I understand. But I just can't stand the fact that you'd put up with doing boring things in life. If that were me, I'd already be dead because of boredom." he said. His eyes caught on my slightly revealed Arashikage tattoo. I pretended to scratch it and tugged my sleeve downward. I bet on a million bucks this guy would ask about it._

_He cleared his throat and said, "Look, you might find it weird that I ask a lot of questions even if we just met a few minutes ago back there. That's just me. I also am surprised that you willingly share stuff about you to a mere stranger. But I'm glad. You don't mind, right? Me asking a lot of questions. I swear I'll tell you everything about me after you do." he said, raising his right hand and putting it to his heart._

_I gave him an amused look. This guy was funny in a weird way. Yeah, I do have a habit about telling people who I am and how miserable my life is after everything that's happened in the past. I don't have any problems with people asking me stuff. It takes away the boredom I feel every moment I can't find the answers to what I'm looking for. This guy seemed sincere and friendly. I might get along with this one._

_"Nope, I have no problem with all your questions. It takes the boredom away. You look trustworthy anyway. I do hope so." I said._

_"You can trust me. As I said, I owe you one. So, I'll tell everything about me. You do the same. Continue." he replied bluntly._

_I raised an eyebrow at his sudden bluntness. This guy was really weird._

_"Okay then." Then and there I told him everything. Starting from crashing in Storm Shadow's room by accident (I used to call him Tommy when we were close in a way, like comrade friendship or something. Now that closeness is totally gone ever since he left, I started calling him Storm Shadow), the symbol on my left arm, to how everything fell apart in the dojo and how my miserable life started._

_Brian was listening to me rant on and on how miserable my life became because my former crush, Storm Shadow, left saying everything would be fine and he'd return. No, he did not. Brian continued to nod and gave me a look of sympathy after I finished rambling._

_I felt hot tears sting my eyes ready to fall anytime now. I couldn't cry. Not now. Not ever if it was all about him. Besides Brian was looking at me._

_"It's alright to cry. You'll feel better afterwards." he said softly._

_I wiped the tears from my eyes. "It's not alright. It just makes things worse. Every time after I cry, I become worse. Nothing will ever be the same. I try my best to find him. Demand an explanation why he had to sacrifice so much. There could have been a way...there could've been..." I said, eyes downcast._

_I heard Brian sigh. "You know, it's true that it's not easy to forget...even after so many years. But you can't live like this forever. You have to move on at some point. Go out to the world and see what you really want to happen in your life. You can also find him in the process and fight for what is right. All you have to do is make a move. You'll see." he said, persuading me._

_His words hit rock bottom. He was right. How am I going to search for who I really am and to find Storm Shadow and demand for answers if I'm here sulking and just doing home-researching. Nothing will definitely come out of it if I just do the same thing everyday._

_"You're right. Nothing positive will come out of it if I just sit in my home doing research and just going for a walk in Tokyo. I have to get out there. But the problem is, I have no money to get out of the country. I can't approach my old home for help, it would be shameful. I should look for a good-paying job somewhere here." I said, tapping my fingers on the armrest of the chair. deep in thought._

_"You've got me right here." Brian said. I looked up in shock. "You would help me? I mean, we've just met. Is that alright?" I asked._

_He nodded. "Yup. I owe you for saving my life. I could bring you to Los Angeles and meet my family. We're a gang, actually." he said with a huge smile on his face._

_I knew I could get along with this guy. He knows how to return the favor without being told in just an hour. I like this guy. "So, when do we leave? Your call." I said, crossing my arms over my chest._

_Brian sighed. I sense a problem here. "You see, that's gonna be the hard part. I'm a cop. I came here alone to do the work we do. But if I bring you with me all of a sudden going back, there will be questions as to what's our relationship. Like, do you even have a passport?" he questioned._

_I raised my brow. "Um, no I don't have one. What's wrong with me going back with you to Los Angeles? Are you on the watch list or something?"_

_He nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, it's pretty hard to explain. I let one of the "MOST WANTED" off the hook. As in literally. Not like I failed to catch him or anything. He's now family. As I've mentioned earlier." he said with a wink._

_I looked at him in awe. He let a criminal off the hook? Most Wanted as a matter of fact. "You're really something. But I can see you have a good heart. They're the same as you, right?" I asked slowly._

_He nodded. "Definitely! We say grace at the table. They just got their own thing. It's complicated. So, about LA, why not I adopt you as my little sister and get you a passport. It may be quite a hard process, but that's the only way possible for you and I to safely get out of Japan and not alarm anyone. Does that sound okay?" he asked._

_I formed a little 'O' to my mouth. "Woah, little sister? I wasn't expecting that. But whatever it takes to get me out of Japan, fine by me, brother." I said, extending my hand for him to shake._

_His eyes widened and looked at my outstretched hand. He slowly looked back at me and gave a soft smile. "Sure, little sis." We both shook hands._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_ **

"After that, life was pretty smooth and quite thrilling. I've learned what family truly means. Besides that, I've learned to drive fast cars. I've also won some races, but I still have a long way to go. I've been on heists, if you watch the evening news or read the newspapers...haha.." I said, trailing off with a tint of red on my cheeks.

The Blind Master straightened his back. "Yes, I know all about that. The whole Arashikage dojo knows about it." he said, sternly. I squuezed my eyes shut. Great, I'm going to be chastised./p>

"But I do understand why'd you do all that. You had to bring justice to this world and rid of all those corrupt and evil. Am I right?" he asked, softly.

I looked at him. I nodded my head in response. The Blind Master sighed in a happy content. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Although, you did rob some money from banks. I'm very sure that's hard to avoid." he said, the sternness in his voice returning.

I huffed. There would always be a comeback coming from the Blind Master. "Yeah, it cannot be helped. We need the money. Besides, the money we steal deserves to be stolen. Those corrupt officials have no right to own that money. But every month, we give a part of our share to charity and orphan homes. I guess that is fair enough." I said, giving him the eye.

"Yes, yes. That is a good way as well. Let's not talk about that anymore. Anything else you want to share?" he prodded.

I gave him a knowing smile. "In fact, I do. But this will be the last." I started. The Blind Master what I was talking about. Him. Storm Shadow. I wish he knew what I felt.

"About Storm Shadow...I don't think he's quite cautious with his surroundings. I mean, ever since I've found out about Cobra, I started doing my research. I wouldn't be able to track him down if it wasn't for Brian getting me out of Japan." I said.

"And? What happened?" he asked, urging me to go on. "After a few months of staying with my brother and the others in Los Angeles, I watched the evening news and found out about M.A.R.S Industries. I knew then and there it had to do something with Cobra. Not everyone knew about Cobra. I mean like only 1.2% knew about it according to my research. So, one day, I paid a visit to M.A.R.S Industries with Gisele, my best friend. We were pretending to be secretaries from famous companies. No need to ask how we got in. It's complicated to explain.

"We got in. Learned everything about nanomites. Well, mostly me. Gisele dozed off at some point. I witnessed General Hawk talking to McCullen and Zartan. I could hear what they're arguing about. After that, I approached Hawk and I made a proposal."

The Blind Master scrunched his brows together. This was his thinking style. "What was the proposal you offered?" he asked, curiousity evident in his tone.

"I proposed that I'd help him unveil what McCullen's true intentions are for the nanomite experiments he's been doing and that he'd help me in return...and that is to track Storm Shadow down. There, I was a part of the Joes in no time. Secretly. Only a few Joes knew about that. Moreover, the Alpha team in general." I said, tapping my fingers on the green grass.

The Blind Master looked a bit confused. "Why did Hawk trust you so easily? That man doesn't just trust anyone. Especially a complete stranger, like you, at the time." he questioned.

I smiled to myself. I knew he was gonna ask that. "Hawk knows one of my friends. Han Lue. He's Gisele's boyfriend. You've met him a while back." I said. The Blind Master nodded in reply.

"So, were you able to track him?" he asked. I noticed a door slightly ajar at my left. I felt suspicious that someone was listening. I shook off the feeling.

"Yeah, I did. A thousand times!!" I said, cracking up. The Blind Master laughed along with me. I could feel a tense aura nearby. Weird. It's not coming from the Blind Master. Someone was really listening.

"But, I never approached him. I don't count that one time he attacked me when I was in a tree watching him. That was the first time I saw him in such a long time when that happened. Good thing I was wearing a mask, or I'd be doomed to face that guy." I said, glancing at the door at my left. What I'm doing right now, is a straight-out confession of what I'd been doing without any of my clan family knowing. Well, except that my face was all over the news last year.

"The first time I saw him after so long, I didn't know what to feel to be honest. I wasn't angry. Neither was I happy. My mind was completely blank. I didn't know what should be my next move. I just stayed there in that tree, letting my guard down. I just looked at his face the whole time. He really changed. I could feel it in my heart. Is that what a person really looks like when he is overcome by darkness and revenge?" I couldn't help but ask.

The Blind Master closed his eyes, he didn't speak for a minute. "Sometimes, we go through a lot in our lives that we tend to change without knowing it. When we realize what has happened, it's already too late. But one should try their best to make things right, by all means necessary. Do you understand?" he asked.

I nodded. "But if you're strong enough to overcome the scars from the past, you tend to be a better person...that's who I am. That's what I believe in. I don't succumb to darkness easily. I think about my loved ones, and I think to myself, what good would come if I change my whole being? The answer's pretty obvious. The reason I dyed my hair with blond streaks is because it symbolizes a new beginning. A new chapter in my life. A new journey. A thrilling ride while it lasts." I stated, satisfied and quite shocked about what I said.

The Blind Master gave me a huge smile and a pat on the back. "I'm glad you understand this. I am relieved that I have not failed in teaching you moral values. I am proud of you." he said.

I smiled to myself in satisfaction. Life was better when I moved to Los Angeles with my brother. To be honest, I just realized I never really focused on finding Storm Shadow but focusing on who I really am and what I want to do in my life. Now, that has been settled, the only problem right now is, wait for it, Storm Shadow.

I'm pretty sure to face him tomorrow, or worse, maybe tonight after my chat with the Blind Master. That's just plain cruel.

"I think I'm going to head in. I've pretty much said my story. Last question though. Did anything bizarre happen in the dojo while I was gone?" I asked. Curiousity got the best of me. I couldn't help but ask.

"Besides, that we all found out the truth about the demise of the Hard Master and that Storm Shadow is innocent, nothing else. We continued our daily routine everyday. It was quite lonely without you filling the hallways with your noise." he joked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. That 'noise' is what I call training with my very best." I said in defense.

The Blind Master gave a laugh. Then his eyes softened. "I'm sure you two will make up." he said gently.

My eyes widened in shock. I did not expect that kind of response. Was a truce even likely possible? I highly doubt it.

"I don't know. Someday. Good night, Blind Master." I said, heading in.

_Little did I know what was in store for me the following days ahead._


	3. Bitter Heartfelt Reunion + An Amusing Encounter

I was heading back to the room where I was sharing it with Gisele, when I bumped into a man. I bumped into him so hard, that I fell onto the floor. That incredibly hurt my butt.

"Jeez! Dude, watch where you're go-" I stopped. The man who I just bumped into was no other than *drum roll* Storm Shadow. Holy fuck. What a way to end the night.

His features didn't change a bit. Only that he looked a bit older from when I last saw him. He was staring at me with an amused expression on his face. For a second, I thought I saw his mouth twitch like he was fighting off the urge to smile. Ugh.

I helped myself stand up. Storm Shadow ain't a gentleman. Not to me anyway, as far as I can remember.

I gave him my best glare. "Move over." I said bluntly. Storm Shadow raised an eyebrow, but didn't budge a bit.

I sighed and started getting past him when he blocked my path. This dude was getting on my nerves. Can't he get the obvious message???

"What is it with you? You want a death wish or something?" I snapped. Storm Shadow just smirked. The nerve! This guy is really starting to piss me off!

"Hey, answer me douche bag! Can you not see that it is almost midnight? Get some sleep. If you don't want to, don't drag me into this bullshit!" I whispered harshly.

Storm Shadow shook his head. "Since when did you use such foul language? What's up with you? A little "Hi" would suffice." he said.

I scoffed. "Hi, great to see you again asshat. See you in the morning! There, you got your warm greeting. Now, scoot. Before this fist of mine lands on your pretty face."

"Come on Layla. Didn't you miss me even just a little bit?" he asked, giving me a smirk.

My eyes softened. "To tell you the truth, yeah. I did. You have no idea how much I did everything I could to find you. One night, I finally did. Yet I did nothing. I would just watch you from my hiding place. But then I realized, what's the use of finding you at random places and not talk to you even if I really wanted to. It's depressing. Then and there, I decided to forget. Live happily with my family. Do what I do. Fast cars, my family, my other family at the dojo. That was everything I kept in my mind for the past 3 years. You weren't a part of it. I don't have any plans for you to get back in my life. You were the one I depended on you the most even if you didn't know it yourself. I thought we were best friends. We would help each other out." I said sadly.

Gosh, did I just say what I really felt to Storm Shadow? This can get me in an awkward situation.

I dared myself to look at his expression. He wore a solemn one. I couldn't help but stare at his sad-looking eyes that is now boring into mine. Why can't I look away? Why is he not saying anything goddammit?! He reached out his hand and stroked my cheek, making me blush beet red.

Just at that moment, he withdrawed his hand and left. Oh. My. Gosh. What exactly just happened a few seconds ago? I was staring into space for 5 minutes until I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

I jumped and yelled, "JEISON!!". All I saw was Snake Eyes who tilted his head in amusement. I coughed and regained my cool composure. Gosh, that was so embarrassing. I mentally slapped my forehead.

"Hey, Snake. What's up, bro? It's been awhile. What are you doing here at this time of night?" I asked.

Snake eyes crossed his arms over his chest. _"I should ask the same thing. What are you doing here at this time? Your talk with the Blind Master ended 20 minutes ago."_ he signed.

I raised a brow. "You timed my talk with the Blind Master? Are you snooping around or something?" I asked suspiciously. I can get catty at times. It's been a habit ever since I moved to L.A.

His shoulders sagged, indicating that he sighed. _"No, that's not my intention. I'm just worried about you. You looked a bit uneasy when you found out Storm Shadow was around here. As a matter of fact, I saw you talking to him just now. Why did he put his hand on your cheek? I want to know what's going on between you two."_ he signed. His actions were obviously exaggerated. He really was spying on me.

I rolled my eyes at his overreacting. "Snake, I guarantee you that there is nothing, and I mean nothing, going on between Storm Shadow and I. And if we had a thing going on, that's not really a problem. Knowing that he is a complete douchebag, ever since he mistook me as a boy and attacked the hell outta me, plus with his "supposed-to-be" anger issues with me, I don't think that's gonna happen in this lifetime. I'm just saying." I said. I hoped that proved a clear point on that one.

Snake Eyes put his hands on his hips. _"Let's not forget that you two had a mutual-rivalry attraction 20 years ago. I think of it as a weird attraction. Tommy even thought I was competition, when in reality, I was helping you deal with this kind of stuff. You should thank me, you know."_

This side of Snake Eyes surprised me. I couldn't help but comment on that part. "You know Snake, you're sounding gayer and gayer by the minute. If Storm Shadow were here, he'd be laughing his ass off and what's worse, he would never forget this until the day he leaves this planet. Not that I can hear you say anything, but to the point that it looks gay. I'm just saying." I said, hands in the air. This conversation was getting amusing.

Snake Eyes tilted his head to the side. Then he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. _"I give up! You really should stop with the 'I'm just saying'. That gets on my nerves. I don't why, but the American style, it's not my thing to handle."_

"Okay, Snake. I get it. But it's gonna be quite hard cuz it's my line. I'll try not to use it in front of you for your sake. Happy?" I said, giving him a knowing smile. I had no clue Snake Eyes had an amusing side. It was really fun to watch. I wonder if anyone else knew about this.

Snake shook his head. Then gave me a pat on the shoulder. _"I'm just glad you're back. You better catch up on some training. You've been all fast cars these days."_

I nodded. "I'll get to that. Don't worry. I'll be heading in first." I said, stifling a yawn.

He nodded in reply. _"Good night."_ he signed, before retreating in the hallway.

I smiled at his retreating figure. Despite a bitter yet somewhat heartfelt reunion with Storm Shadow, which still confuses and bothers me though, Snake Eyes is just being that lovable brother even if he can't talk due to that damn vow of silence. I'm pretty much more than thankful for that. Even if I was breaking inside and shutting myself from the world which lead to my departure from the dojo, he never gave up on me. I am so lucky to have him as a brother.

Smiling to myself, I walked back to my room and waiting for me was an impatient Gisele. Then and there, I told her everything that transpired starting from the Blind Master's talk with me, to my awkward encounter with Storm Shadow until that amusing enocunter with Snake Eyes. I guess life wasn't so bad after all.


	4. First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH! I haven't updated for so long! Made me forget I had a story hanging with all shit in college, I'll make it up to you guys. Promise. Just give me time. I'll be updating slowly for now. Thanks to those who left kudos to my story. I never expected anyone to really notice it even if it's just a little. It means a lot! 
> 
> Cheers! :DD

"-ke up."

_What the hell?_

I slowly open my eyes and turn to look at whoever dared intrude my beauty sleep. Gisele knew waking me up will be the ultimate death of her. I'm groggy and grumpy as hell every mornings, especially if I'm being woken up. Not unless it's urgent, I understand.

"Idiot. Wake up."

_A guy's voice...it clearly is not Gisele. Sounds familiar though...my eyesight is still blurry..._

I blink once, twice, thrice. My eyes widen in realization at who exactly was waking me up. Of all people...

It was none other than my most favorite person in the world, Storm Shadow. What a great way to start the day with the first person I see.

I gave him a glare. He raised an eyebrow at my expression and gave a slight chuckle.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

Storm Shadow shook his head. "Your glare is evidently and amusingly cute. Although, cute is not really in my vocabulary so to say."

"Then why bother saying the word if it isn't, you moron?" I snapped. My grumpy mood was already starting.

"What's with you today? You're all so grumpy." He muttered under his breath.

"Did Gisele even tell you that I'm not a morning person and I especially hate it when someone wakes me up? If it's not urgent, I'm going to kick your ass into oblivion." I said through gritted teeth.

Storm Shadow gave a smirk and shook his head, obviously amused by my "morning" antics. "Tsk, tsk. You really should change your attitude. I don't think any men would want to court a stubborn and grumpy woman like you." 

I scoffed. "You have no idea. You haven't seen me for the last 20 years. You don't know how my life went about."

"Oh, don't worry. We still have lots of time to get to know each other after so long. I'd love you forever." he said, with a wave of his hand.

I suddenly sat up in my bed, giving him _the_ look. I would take that as sarcasm, but I can't be sure. Knowing Storm Shadow from 20 years ago, he wasn't the type of guy who would have a sense of humor and try to flirt with anyone. For one thing, I don't know him personally anymore. I am only stuck on knowing who the "Tommy" I knew back then. It has been 20 years. People change. So did our friendship.  

 _Was he flirting with me?_ "Are you trying to look like a professional flirt? News flash: you're failing." I said, unamused.

He looked at me straight in the eye and moved his face a bit closer. It had a mischievous glint to it. I have a bad feeling about this and I might end up going with the flow. I hope not, whatever he is planning.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that? You're too close." I muttered, trying to push him away.

 He wouldn't budge. Not a single step at all. This is getting frustrating. Why did he wake me up in the first place?!

His expression was still the same. What is he planning? He better not push his luck or he fears my wrath forever.

"You've really changed. All those cars and fast races...you're good. A professional at that...it's simply amazing how you can pull that off all the time..." he said, as my eyes widen in sudden realization.

_That feeling...everytime I'm about to start a race. He was always there. No, it can't be. That's impossible. So the race in Tokyo yesterday...holy shit. Of course he'd be there. But it's a surprise he'd gone to, maybe, all my races. Does he really..._

"But I still see more of the Layla I knew back then..." he whispered giving a soft smile. As he said this, a faint red came to my cheeks. It was a good thing I was brown-skinned. Thank the heavens because I'd be embarrassed to let him see me blush.

Before things could go any further, let alone my sanity,  I heard a familiar distant voice shouting a complaint. "Hey! What's taking you so long for you to wake her up? I know it's ha-" Gisele stopped abruptly after opening the door, taking in the situation. Her eyes darted back and forth between Storm Shadow and I, who's face was still at close proximity to mine.

I immediately pushed his face away from mine which made him stumble a bit backwards, but not quite obvious since he was a ninja himself. He wouldn't want to embarass himself or something.

Gisele tried to stifle a laugh and I gave her my best glare that could melt a person down. She coughed and composed herself. "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked sweetly. Seriously? This girl is trying to play cupid. How horrendous.

"Yes." Storm Shadow said, expressionless. "No." I said. Hearing his answer, I stared at him in shock. Say what?! This is crazy! This guy is crazy! What's he trying to pull?!

Gisele gave a short laugh. "I see. Anyways, Layla you have to eat breakfast now. You're going to have a sparring session today!" she said with full glee. Something was up. The way she was smiling. I just know it.

"A sparring session? Why didn't anyone tell me yesterday? With who? Snake Eyes or Jinx?" I asked.

Gisele gave me an "are-you-serious" look. "Neither. It's with that guy right beside you." she said, pointing to Storm Shadow who was busy fiddling with a shuriken.

" _What?!_ " I exclaimed in disbelief. "Says who?!"

Gisele looked a bit uncomfortable by my outburst. She should've expected it. "Um...the one you call Blind Master. Does he have a name?" she asked.

Instead of just playing it cool, I completely did the opposite. I started ranting about how this was unfair. A sparring session that the Blind Master and everyone else would watch. Even Dom and the others. Holy crap! I haven't done much training in days because of the Tokyo race I was busy preparing for. I could slide in a gangster move or two just to show this guy right beside me who's boss. I can't fail this spar!

When I was done berating poor Gisele who had nothing to do with this but be the messenger, Storm Shadow turned to me and gave me one of his infamous smirks. "That was the reason I woke you up, Lulu. See you later." he said, exiting the room. 

After hearing him calling me by my old nickname, I couldn't help but put my tongue out at him even if he didn't see. But I think he knew I did and paid no attention to my childish antics. 

Gisele was still amused by what happened awhile ago and I couldn't help but sigh and frown a little. This ninja confuses me to no end. What are his true intentions for his actions awhile back, especially yesterday?! I don't know if he's playing me or it's something else. I just can't tell. I turned to Gisele who was looking at me curiously.

"If you're wondering what exactly is my relationship with that guy, I. Have. No. Exact. Idea." I said, enunciating each word carefully.

"He's got you confused, am I right?" Gisele asked, closing the door and sitting on my bed. 

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, he's already a stranger to me. But whenever I see him, it's not exactly that. It's like, like, um..." I couldn't exactly say the term for that. I have no clue what I should refer to him as.

"Old feelings resurface? You're pretty much confused about them, I can tell." Gisele said, giving me a knowing look. "I know you better than anybody."

I gave a deep sigh. "I don't know anymore. It's just...I was so sure that my feelings for Storm Shadow are long gone. Now I'm not so sure. I'm being plunged under all over again."

"Then that means one thing: You. Are. Totally. Not. Over. Him." Gisele said, enunciating each word. I hate it when she's right without my own self knowing it.

"Okay, fine. If I clearly am not over him, what should I do? How do I completely erase him from my heart?" I asked, exasperated over the issue at hand.

Gisele shook her head. "There's nothing I can do that can change your "confused" feelings for him. That's up to you to decide whether or not you'll totally forget him and find someone else, which I doubt you'd be interested in doing so."

"If that's the case...it really will take time. But I can't be so sure." I muttered.

"By the way, Lulu? How did that come about? Is that seriously your nickname or is that his way of endearment towards you?" Gisele said in utter glee that made me want to puke.

"No. Clearly, that is not the case." I said, defensive. I also chucked a pillow at her direction, which she easily caught.

"Oh, really? Enlighten me." she said in retaliation.

I mentally slapped myself. _I am so not keen on telling stuff about the past._

"I am not telling anything about the past. Let's leave it at that. " I said in a serious tone, but Gisele knew me better.

"Stop being so serious, it doesn't suit you." she said, unwavered by my so-called-seriousness.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Not budging even a bit."

"Alright then. I'll be asking Storm Shadow myself." she stood and was about to open the door and leave, before I claimed defeat.

"Fine! I'll say it. Don't even think of talking to that asshat. Geez!" I said with a groan.

Gisele went back to the bed and gave a triumphant smile. She really knows how to get me.

I sighed. "As much as I want to keep things hidden but thanks to your immature threat, I'll have to tell my tale of long ago."

Gisele rolled her eyes. "Stop being sarcastic. I'm your bestie. Of course, you should tell me. It's time you did after all those years of me silently accepting that you weren't ready to spill the beans. Now, go on."

I gave a small smile in response. Yeah, she's right. I have been keeping things in the dark, until now. Maybe that's why I felt like dying everytime I think of him out there doing who knows what. It's time I let it out to someone.

"It all started that day..."

**_FLASHBACK (TOKYO, JAPAN: 18 YEARS AGO)_ **

_I was silently observing people from afar. They were doing the ordinary things they do everyday. They had no idea what happened to my clan. They had no idea that I witnessed my parents slaughter as well as the others. They had no idea how much I suffered. I was an only child. I was alone._

_I miss my mommy. I miss my daddy. I miss  my grandparents. I miss my relatives. I miss my friends. I miss everyone to the point I'm breaking._

_I have no idea what he looks like because of that cat-looking mask and it terrifies me. I have nightmares everyday about thatv event. I hope it would soon stop but it just keeps getting worse._

_I had my thoughts on revenge. I would have to train hard in order to defeat whoever is responsible for the demise of my clan. My intelligence and strength at age 8 will help me survive this hellhole. That's what my father trained me for these past years. I had no time for a happy childhood. I get it now. It was for this. If anything had gone wrong, I would be the one to put an end to it._

_My stomach suddenly rumbled. Thoughts of planning my revenge is getting me hungry. Plus my travel on foot was exhausting. I even wondered how I got to Japan. Was this the country that was the nearest from the eastern forest? I had no clue. I looked around and my eyes landed on an elderly Japanese man throwing out his half-eaten food in the trash._

_I debated to myself whether or not I'd get the half-eaten food from the trashcan. But then I was reminded  of my father warning me never to eat food that was thrown in trash when I am stuck in a damned situation. I turned away, getting food from trash was not an option. I'd have to find a way to get "clean" food._

_I looked around. I wasn't sure if I should steal. My parents were adamant about me stealing. I already did that once when I was 6 and thought it wasn't a big deal and argued a bit about it. But they never told me to not do the same thing in a damned situation as this._

_Another rumble erupted from my stomach. This time it was louder and much more persistent to get something._

_I gave my stomach a slight frown. "Ugh, be patient." I said._

_I frantically started looking around where I can get food to eat. My eyes landed on a dojo uphill. It's clan symbol was red and rectangular in stripes. What clan was this? Clearly, ninjas existed in this place and this dojo might be one of them. Not unless that place is actually a temple._

_I decided to go to the dojo uphill and sneak in to get some food. I hope I'm making the right choice to go there._

_I took my time going uphill and stopped a few meters away from the entrance where ninjas were heavily guarding it.  So it's a dojo after all. I sighed. "This is going to be tricky...nontheless..."  I muttered, looking around  for any way to get in._

_My eyes spied upon a side entrance to open windows on the left side of the dojo. It looks like the only way to get around these guards. But at least it's raining. It may be heavily guarded but ninjas tend to put down their guard becuase of gloomy weather according to a book I read about ninjas. I find that fact weird and I'm not sure if it's true. Might as well find out._

_I put up my hood and put a black mask over my mouth so that only my eyes were showing. I made my way over to the side entrance. I glanced up. There were a few guards guarding that part of the dojo. This would be easier. I'm good at being discreet with my movem_ _ents. I stealthily climbed the gate with ease and checked for any traps, even the tiniest ones. I found none which was a relief. I jumped down from the gate as silent as a mouse._

_I looked at the very few guards guarding one of the windows. They didn't seem to notice anything off, likely hear anything. Good. I'd get in easily in no time. I'd just have to get past these guards._

_I hid behind some thick bushes and looked around. I noticed the guards had a routine of looking around clockwise. I found it weird but I guess it was some ninja strategy. My clan wasn't really a clan of ninjas but great and stealthy warriors for a bunch of decades. I found it quite suspicious how my whole clan was wiped out in a matter of minutes. I have time to investigate sometime in the near future._

_After a few minutes, I saw my chance and leaped up to the window barely hanging on. I looked around and saw that no guard noticed. Well these guys are idiots I guess. Weren't they supposedly professional ninjas? I guess not. I swung inside noiselessly and found myself in, what looked like the kitchen._

_I spied upon some bread and my stomach gave another lurch. Damn, I really am hungry. Well, I think it wouldn't hurt to steal a weeks's worth of_ _food and get the hell outta here. It would have been a bit fun if I took a sneak around. But, I don't want to risk anything. I snagged some bread, cookies and some bottles of water and put them in my backpack._

_I took a last look around the place before putting my hood up. As I was about to take a step on the windowsill, I felt a pair of small yet very strong hands pull me away from my escape route and throw me across some barrels at the right side of the kitchen. My head hit one of the barrels and I rubbed my head because it stung so much. What the actual fuck?!_

_I blinked. I took a peep at my assailant and it was a boy somewhat my age wearing a taekwondo outfit, his hair was a bit long and jet black, his eyes were so firce and so was his stance. He looked Japanese and much importantly, he was quite attractive._

_Oh god Layla! Focus! You should start attacking him and try to get the fuck out!_

_But no. I didn't listen to what my mind was telling me. I was just amazed at how strong he was. I'm still seeing stars!_

_The look in his eyes say that he doesn't know that he just attacked a girl and thinks I'm a boy, thanks to my hood. Oh great!_

_Then the boy spoke, "Why does this feel like deja vu? Who the hell are you to steal from here?"_

_I blinked trying to keep my face hidden. I don't want anyone launching a search warrant on me. It's time I defend myself instead of looking like a sore loser!_

_I replied with a sudden punch to his face which caught the boy in surprise. Before he could start attacking again, I started kicking him and throwing every punch I got. I thought I would win but then he suddenly got a hold of my leg and plunged me drastically to the floor._

_He sat atop me and tried to remove the hood but I didn't give him the chance because I took a hold of his arm and flipped him over which he landed in another set of barrels. As he started to stand up, he growled. He muttered something like, "I'm not going to lose this time you bastard!" and started attacking._

_I started blocking all of his attacks but it was quite tiring since he was so fast. I threw in a few punches until I heard someone shout, "Teishi!"._

_Me and the other boy stopped fighting and turned around to see an elder and a blonde boy right beside him with his eyes wide at the current situation and that his brother, I think, was fighting a girl. The elder was looking at me curiously._

_The boy beside me, bowed, "Master, I'm sorry. My instinct just kicked in. Brother, I am sorry as well. It's...like deja vu all over again." Then the boy turned to look at me and scowled, "But I can't let another situation like this happen again. I'm sorry." he said and bowed._

_I turned my head to look at the boy, so he could take a good look at who he just messed with. The boy's brows furrowed and realization started to hit. "Are you..." he started. Before he could finish, I took off my hood and gave him a bored look. "A girl? What do you think? Do I look like a boy to you?" Ha! Just to show you who you're messing with!_

_The boy was at a loss for words. I turned to the Elder and bowed my head. "I'm really sorry, Elder. I know I shouldn't steal but I was really hungry. I can clean up the place and best be on my way." I said._

_The blonde boy beside the Elder looked at him as if waiting for a verdict. The Elder didn't say anything for a minute and then he smiled. "You must be Layla Fernandes, am I correct?" the Elder asked._

_I blinked, a bit taken aback that he knew my name. "Um, yes...how do you know me? Do you know my parents by any chance?"" I asked, very curious to know between the relationship of him and my parents._

_"Yes. I knew them very well. I only heard about the tragic news of your clan yesterday. I was even thinking of hiring someone to search for you. I'm glad you've found your way here."  he said._

_This time, I was at a loss for words. Woah...really? Someone was really thinking of looking for me? That's news._

_"You're welcome to stay here, if you want." the blonde boy said with a smile. "I'm Snake Eyes by the way"._

_"Layla Fernandes. Nice to meet you." I noticed that the jet black-haired boy was still beside me. I almost forgot about him._

_"What's your name?" I asked the boy who was still shell-shocked about my true identity but he snapped back into reality. "Tommy Arashikage, also known as Storm Shadow". he said, but I could feel that he felt embarrassed by the situation he was in._

_"Glad to meet you, Tommy. Even if we started on the wrong foot, can we...um, start over maybe?" I said , a bit nervously. He still looked menacing though._

_Tommy didn't say anything for a whole minute. Then he spoke, "Maybe...I'm not sure."Excuse me, Master". he said bowing and quickly left._

_The Elder suddenly laughed. I was surprised by his reaction to all this._

_When the Elder calmed down, he spoke again, "I have never seen Tommy get embarrassed in a situation like this. He's quite arrogant, to be honest. He's never fought a girl before. This scenario did happen like this sometime ago." he said, glancing at Snake Eyes. "Come, come. I have much to tell you and you will be served dinner in the hall. Please do stay with us. I can teach you a lot"._

_As soon as he said those words, I felt a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have never felt so thankful in my whole entire life._

_"Yes, of course Elder. I am very thankful". I said._

_The Elder laughed. I raised a brow. "Please do not call me Elder. I feel so old. I am called the Hard Master."_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_ **

"...and that's how it all started. Awkwardness with the asshat and a welcoming committe with the Hard Master and Snake Eyes". I said, giving a little smile at the memory.

Gisele was propped on a pillow and I could see it in her eyes she wanted more. "Is that all you're going to tell me? Wait, what about how 'Lulu' came about?" she asked, with a pout on her face.

I rolled my eyes. "That's all for now. I'll tell the rest later. We're running a little late."

"Okay, okay. You promise to tell me more later." she said, getting off the bed.

"Yeah, I got it. You won't stop pestering about it if I don't." I replied.

_Will Storm Shadow and I ever be the same again? I'm secretly still hoping it can work._


	5. Family

After breakfast, I headed back into my room to prep for the spar session between Storm Shadow and I. For the first time in years, nervousness of getting owned out there in public slowly started creeping in and I hated every inch of it.

When it came to drag races, I was always a 110% confident, no doubt. But I was always focused on fast cars and race strategies that I haven't really took the time to really train for improvement of my fighting skills and delicate handle with weaponry like the shuriken and katana.

But I assure myself I still have those skills instilled deep in my mind and body. When fighting some other guys, I do tend to use them at times but I'm more on the street fighting style. I do have one thing to really rely on, my combination skills of street fighting and ninja combat alike. That is, if I'm lucky enough to get a hit on the asshat.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I gave myself the "you-can-do-it-without-fail" look. I can't lose. I gotta stay focused.

There was a brisk knock at the door. I went over and opened it. It was Jinx, who had a very serious expression on her face.

"Hey Jinx, what's up? I'm about to head out for the spar." I said casually.

"Layla, we have a serious problem." she said.

I tensed. Holy shit. What was it?

"Huh? What's the problem?" I asked. I was pretty damn terrified of what that problem would be.

"Cobra has taken over London. We just got the news today." Jinx said.

My eyes widened. That soon? "I see. Does that mean that the spar will be postponed?" I asked.

Jinx nodded. "Affirmative." then her eyes twinkled mischievously. "I guess you're happy that it didn't push through, huh?"

I raised a brow and scoffed. "Of course not! I was all fired up."

"Uh huh...okay then. Anyways, your friends have been told as well. They'll be waiting at the dojo's meeting room for a briefing. We're heading to Los Angeles in two hours." she said.

I nodded. "Um, I don't mean to pry...but, is he coming along?" I was curious. But I knew the answer.

Jinx gave me a wry smile. "Of course he is. He's been with Cobra, so he knows a lot about them. Are you gonna be bothered?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously. I haven't been here for more than 2 days and he tries to put the moves on me for his entertainment. That guy's unbelievable. Nowhere near the Tommy I knew back then. Ultimate zero percent."

Jinx was perplexed. "Um, okay...but you know, my cousin isn't really that bad. You two should really talk. To be honest, he doesn't stop thinking and talking about you. He's really crazy about you, in a way. I'm not sure if you're aware of it though." she said carefully.

I didn't answer her. What she said got me thinking. Was it really true that he's crazy about me? Jinx would never fib about this kind of thing. I guess I have to see for myself.

Just at that time, Gisele arrived. She looked at Jinx and I back and forth and gave me the "you're-telling-me-what's-up" look.

I gave a slight nod in return, chatted a bit with Jinx and after awhile, she left and I started packing. 

Gisele was packing but was eyeing me as well. 

"I'll tell you in the car. I promise." I said to her.

"Okay." she said in reply. "I had this feeling your talk was about ninja boy in white. Am I right?" 

"Yes. It's about the asshat." I said with a sigh. 

\-------------------------------------

We finished packing and headed to the meeting room. We ran into my brother and Han. 

"Hey, how are you guys holding up?" I asked the two.

Han shrugged. "It's nothing really." he said munching on some chips. How typical.

"Well, looks like the sins of London have followed us home. Again." he said.

I laughed. "How nice. Where's Mia and baby Jack?"

"She's playing with him in the garden. She's not going to come with us but she'll be staying at the dojo until we get back." Brian replied.

"Gisele, have you seen Dom?" Brian asked, looking over my shoulder. 

"Nope, I haven't. Why?" she asked.

"Well, it's just I haven't seen him since this morning. Letty's looking for him too." he said.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him at breakfast either. I'll look for him. You guys go on ahead." I said, with a wave of my hand.

"Okay. Don't take too long though." Brian said. 

"Got it. See you guys." I replied, walking out the dojo. 

Outside, I saw Storm Shadow with his back turned to me. I hesitated to approach him. I just wanted to ask if he knew where Dom went. Does he even know who Dom is? Ugh, screw it.

I casually strode up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and was surprised to see me but quickly changed it to a smirk. "Are you here to kiss and make up?"  he asked slyly.

I just gave him a "what-the-fuck" look and rolled my eyes. "No, I'm looking for Dom. Know where he is?" I asked. I'm not even sure if Storm Shadow even know who the guy is.

"Oh. You mean him?" he said, pointing to Dom at the far end of the garden. He was with Letty, Mia and baby Jack.

"So, he was just walking around, eh?" I said absently.

Storm Shadow looked at me and then at them. "So those are the people who you spent half your life with? I've been watching them for quite awhile and they seemed like..." he trailed off.

I glanced at him. "Family? That's what we are. Family means a lot to us especially Dom. You don't turn your back on family. That's what I learned. Stay together through thick and thin. Like a pack of fast cars." I said with a smile on my face.

"Hm, is that so? But I've always wanted to ask this." He said, then turned to look at me. "When did you even have this obsession with fast cars? Did I miss something when we were kids?"

At this, I laughed. "No, you didn't. I started feeling a connection with cars when I was about 16. Call me crazy, but it's true. You feel these connections when you're really into something." I said, remembering the memory of that blue skyline outside the japanese store I used to live in. It was actually Brian's car.

Storm Shadow was still looking at me with an intense gaze. I stared right back. _Oh my god, Layla Fernandes. What the hell are you doing? Tear your gaze away before someone sees you!_

"Well, what do we have here? Come on, lovebirds, that's enough." a familiar and annoying voice said from behind.

We both looked behind. It was Roman and Tej, looking at me with big, goofy smiles on their faces. I groaned. Now these two won't stop picking on me for sure. Damn it.

"What's going on here?" Dom called out. My shoulders slumped, even without turning back. _This is just great!_

At this, Tej spoke out loud, "Yo Dom! Looks like we got two new lovebirds on the horizon!" 

My eyes widened at his outburst.  _No. No. No. This isn't fucking happening!_

I looked at Dom and the others who were approaching. Then I looked to Storm Shadow and gave him a warning glare not to say anything stupid. He just blankly looked back at me.

"What are you guys talking about?" Letty asked, hands on hips. 

"Ask her." Roman said, pointing at me.

I rolled my eyes. "You're misunderstanding guys. I was just talking to him. Well, not much." I said with a wave of my hand.

"Ooooh, you're lying." Roman taunted. In reply, I gave him the middle finger.

"Guys, knock it off. You're upsetting Layla." Mia said, holding a gurgling baby Jack.

Thank god for Mia. She knows when things are getting a little too far.

Dom was trying not to laugh. Letty was giving me the thumbs up. For what reason? I have no clue. Mia just gave me a sympathetic smile. Roman and Tej continued snickering. Storm Shadow just suddenly turned bland. I swear to god this guy just uses his charms and socialization skills on me.

"Okay guys. We should head in. They're waiting." I said, walking past Roman and Tej and back in the dojo.

 _Little did I know that those guys were plotting something outrageous._  


	6. Mission Freaking Impossible to Insanity! (as Roman says)

Roadblock and Duke arrived at the dojo's briefing room, which was a surprise. Weren't they supposed to be at the Pit?

"Alright. Mission briefing before we head to L.A. Is everyone here?" he said, scanning the room. When he saw that everyone was in the room, he cleared his throat and started talking. "Ever since the attack on London, there has been a change of plans. Instead of heading to the Pit, we go straight to L.A. It's General Colton's orders. Our movements won't be easily tracked since there was already an incident where COBRA infiltrated the Pit a few years ago." He said, glancing at Storm Shadow. "Anyways, COBRA is moving up fast and we need to work together to slow them down and capture them in the process."

" _So, what happened out there? I could hear laughter outside awhile ago."_ Gisele whispered in my ear. 

 _"I'll tell you everything in the car. You won't believe what just happened. "_ I whispered back.

"Layla, you and your team. When you get to L.A., start getting some fast cars. We'll need them." Roadblock said.

"Alright, we can. How long do you want us to snag up all those cars?" I asked. 

"Three days. Tops." He replied.

I blinked. "We can get those in 5 if it's Los Angeles. We don't have much helpful connections there. Is it possible for an extension?"

Roadblock gave me a look. "As I have said, COBRA is moving fast and we have to keep up with the pace. I can only limit to three days. Make it happen." 

I sighed and looked at the others. Dom mouthed,  _"Fast connections"_. Oh, right. I could suggest that.

"Look, instead of heading straight to L.A., the only fast connections we have to get those cars fast enough in two days is in Abu Dhabi and Brazil. I suggest me and my team head out to Abu Dhabi 'cause it's only 10 hours and 24 minutes flight time. But we can get there in 6 hours. _Tops._ " I said with a smile. 

Roadblock looked a bit perplexed. "And how exactly are you going to get there in 6 hours?" he asked.

I smirked. "I'm pretty sure you know how capable me and my team are."

Jinx, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow all had curious looks on their faces. They had absolutely no idea what I've been doing over the past years. Well, they were going to know soon enough. 

Roadblock sighed. "Alright. If you can get it before 3 days, I'll go along with it then. Have Jinx and Storm Shadow accompany you guys. Hope you don't mind." he said, giving me a rueful glance.

 _"Puedo incluso otra alternativa?"_ I replied. Dom and the others laughed, they knew what it meant. I was just being formal in Spanish. I tend to be sarcastic in that manner.

Roadblock chuckled while the other Joes looked confused, especially Storm Shadow. Surprisingly, he didn't know Spanish.

"Alright, let's get moving. We can't have a delay in schedule. Joes!" Duke's voice boomed across the room. The Joes howled in response and started moving out of the room. Only me, my team, Roadblock, Jinx and Storm Shadow were left in the room.

"Okay, Fernandes. What's the plan? I need to know." Roadblock said.

"Ever heard of 'cars falling from the sky'?" I said. Jinx looked horrified. Storm Shadow raised an eyebrow. Roadblock just nodded.

I looked at Dom to explain the plan, he nodded and started to talk. "We need a jet from the Pit that'll help us land to Abu Dhabi. We have the cars for that but there has to be a built-in parachute in each car. We plan to land east of the desert in Abu Dhabi." he finished.

"Are you guys sure about this?" Roadblock asked, looking at all of our faces. 

"Yeah, we're good. The only problem is, how about them? Can they ride a car falling from the sky?" Han said, pointing at Jinx and Storm Shadow.

Jinx really looked horrified. Storm Shadow gave me a wtf look. I shrugged at him in reply.

"They can ride in any of our cars. We understand that." Brian piped up.

"Are you guys serious?" Roman looked completely baffled.

"Serious about what?" I asked.

"Cars falling from the sky?! Are you nuts?!" he argued, waving his arms around. He looked like a lost duck.

"Roman, will you just chill?" Tej answered, then muttering something about fears.

"How can I just chill?! First, we take down a tank, an airplane and now cars falling out of the freaking sky?! Look, practically I've just been an ex-convict who street races for years and then now it comes to the big-ass freaking mission impossible to mission freaking insanity! Get what I mean here?" he said, gesturing his point with his hands.

"Yeah, we get it. Alright then. Care to show us another fastest way to get to our destination?" I asked, sarcastic.

"Look, there's what we call leadership. Sometimes, we have to give other people chances to decide something here." he ranted.

Tej and Brian rolled their eyes. "Okay, Mr. Leader. I'm already asking how we get there faster?" I said, getting quite tired with Roman's ridiculous antics.

Roman stuttered a bit. "I-I'm not saying right now. Maybe...maybe in the future..." he looked away.

"You just need to let your frustrations out, huh? I totally get it." I sympathized.

Roman nodded, head down. Dom was trying not to laugh.

"Okay, then where are these two ninjas gonna ride in?" Han asked.

"Jinx can ride in Gisele's car and Storm Shadow in mine." I said bluntly.

Gisele raised her eyebrows at me with a look that said 'SERIOUSLY?'. Han stopped eating his chips midway. Roman and Tej started to contain their laughter. Dom and Letty looked surprised. Brian was giving me a pat on the back. I rolled my eyes at my big bro's gesture.

Roadblock gave a small smile. "Then it's settled."

Storm Shadow looked at me suspiciously. He guessed damn right I am up to something.

I gave him a smile in return and left the room with the team trailing behind.

Roman started to mutter, "I'm really gonna regret this...I should start praying."

Brian patted Roman on the back. "You'll live."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys! How are you loving the story? Sorry if I'm updating so slow whoever anticipates for the next chapter (if there is anyone lol). So, yeah. I'll be updating again in a few days. Cheers!
> 
> Puedo incluso otra alternativa? (Do I even have a choice)


	7. A Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here I am, late in the updates as usual. I get pretty lazy when there's not much reaction from the readers. But I'm thankful to those who have read and those who have left kudos on my work! I really do appreciate it and if ever you guys are still waiting for the next few chapters, please bear with me. I'm not very quite motivated to continue updating chapters very much sooo yeah. Haha!
> 
> Btw, I recently started up a story on wattpad. It's called "Vampire Secrets". So far, I have only 2 chapters and yes, it's taking quite some time for me to update. If you lovely people would be kind enough to read my story and give some feedback and votes, I would truly be motivated to update on a regular basis. So, yeah. 
> 
> Here's the link: http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/37987237-vampire-secrets
> 
> Enjoy! Hihi. Cheers! :D

I was driving my way to the checkpoint in Tokyo where a jet from the Pit would be waiting. Gisele was in the passenger seat with Han and Jinx at the back. Storm Shadow decided to ride with Dom and Letty. At least he knows I'm not in the mood for him to be cracking nonsense in my car.

Han was chatting with Jinx, clearly interested in a ninja's life and how they use their weapons efficiently without fail. I gave Gisele a look at Han's weird curiousity. She in turn rolled her eyes and mouthed, _"Don't mind him."_

I shrugged and continued the driving in silence, except for the fact that Han and Jinx were talking. After a while, I could feel Gisele's aura, waiting for me to spill the beans about earlier. But with Jinx in the car and if I were to talk about it in front of Han, that'd be weird. But I decided to tell her here and now since I've been putting it off since awhile ago. 

"Okay, I know you're dying to know the juicy deets of what happened earlier." I said discreetly as possible. I glanced at the mirror. At least those two weren't paying attention.

Gisele gave me a bright smile. "Shoot." she replied in the same discreet tone.

I looked at the mirror to see if Han and Jinx were listening in, they weren't. This time Jinx was asking Han about cars and drifting. I snorted at these two nerds. They could be best friends.  _Weird ones in fact._

I told Gisele about Roman and Tej's ridiculous banters and that the rest of the crew joined in and Storm Shadow just standing there like a remote statue. I described how weird he was that he was trying to use his charms on me and when it came to other people he'd go back to being some distant, cold person he was quite known for in Cobra.

After I was finished, Gisele gave me a calculating look. I raised a brow questioning her reaction. 

"You know, since you say he's that cold of a bastard and that you don't really know him anymore, with his weird antics around you and others, I think in my opinion, his world revolves only around you." she said softly.

I stopped my car at the stoplight since it turned red. I turned to stare at her, indicating she was out of her mind.

But she just stared back with a serious expression on her face.

"You're kidding." I whispered, glancing at the duo who was still chatting. Seriously? Don't they ever run out of topics to talk about? 

"I'm not. That's what I think by what you're telling me. Not unless you're sugarcoating it." she joked at the last one.

I rolled my eyes. I noticed the stoplight turned green and drove onwards.

With all this serious talk and glancing at the back to check that they weren't eavesdropping on us and with me driving, I'm quite surprised I haven't crashed in a lamp post. I was in the lead of the others and I wouldn't want to see me, a pro racer, crashing in a lamp post. That'd be embarrassing, especially if Storm Shadow were to see it.

I noticed Dom's black charger behind us and I wonder if Dom and Letty were talking to Storm Shadow. But knowing how cold and rude he is to others, I guess not.

After about half an hour, we finally arrived at our destination.

The others hopped out of the car except me, since I'll be driving this beauty. Before closing the passenger door, Gisele gave me a wink. I looked after her, confused. Then realization suddenly dawned on me that Storm Shadow was going to be in the same car as I was. Well, I can't blame anyone but myself since I was the one who suggested it. Remembering my _evil plan_ , I grinned to myself.

As I was going over my brilliant plan, I heard the car door open and I didn't bother to look but I could see from my side vision that Storm Shadow hopped in. After closing the door, we stayed in silence for a minute. 

I noticed Storm Shadow turned to look at me, I did the same. He had a suspicious look in his eye. I gave him a sweet smile in return.

"Something tells me you're up to something." he said slowly.

I gave him a shrug. "What are you talking about? Can't you see I'm just being friendly?"

Storm Shadow raised his eyes in surprise. "No. That's not it. I'm sure of it." he muttered, putting on his seat belt.

"But, well, I can promise you one thing." I said, slowly driving my car towards the plane, Roman's car in front and the others behind me. 

"And what would that be?" he asked, yawning.

I stopped my car inside the plane, parking next to Roman. Despite that Roman was nervous for this, he wouldn't fail to piss me off. From the window, I could see him giving me a thumbs up. Once again, I gave him the middle finger.

Storm Shadow looked between me and Roman, amused.

I looked at Storm Shadow square in the eye. "You're in for a wild ride." 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"I know you didn't kill the Hard Master! Why run away?!" I said desperately._

_"Because I know who the real killer is. I was framed. I need to honor the Hard Master by taking down the killer." Tommy whispered._

_"Tommy! I'm a witness! I can explain what I saw! You don't have to run away! We can find him together, with the clan!" I was exasperated. I don't think he was going to change his mind._

_Tommy stood up and walked towards me, and suddenly gave me a hug._

_We stood there in the pouring rain hugging each other for a long time before he let go._

_"I'm sorry Lulu. I have to. It's the only way. You have to trust me." his eyes were sad._

_"I do trust you! But there's gotta be another way! You can't your whole life like this! A "supposed" traitor to the clan. Your honor will be stripped! Snake Eyes will understand if we explain to him." I exclaimed. I knew he was not going back, but I had to try._

_He sighed. "I'm really sorry, Lulu. You're...you mean everything to me! I can't drag you into this."_

_I felt tears streaming down my face. It mixed in with the rain. "If that's how it's gonna be, then promise me this. Promise me you'll come home after everything is over. Promise me." I whispered._

_Tommy's eyes softened. "I promise."_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wake with a start. 

I whip my head around then I realize that I just had a painful nightmare.

I stared at the wall. I was in my bunk bed. I thought I had literally gone back in time, thank god it wasn't actually happening again.

I quietly got out of bed and tiptoed my way across the floor and sneak to the back of the jet. 

It was still dark. I take a look at my phone. It was 3:00 am. We still have a long way to go.

I went over to my car, opened the door and got in. My heart was still beating fast. I took deep breaths.

When I finally calmed down, I felt my face was wet. I frowned. I touched my face and to my surprise, they were actually tears.

I bit my lip. I was crying? Oh my god. I'm such a terrible mess.

I hastily wiped them away and stared blankly again at the wall.

I thought those nightmares have already stopped. Why was I having them again? Was it because of Storm Shadow's presence?

I sighed deeply. I'm such an emotional wreck. After all this time, I'm still completely not over it. I thought I was actually getting there...too bad I wasn't even in the slightest bit.

I opened the car door and got out. I looked through the jet's window and stared at the dark sky.

"Can't sleep?" I whipped around to see Dom with a beer bottle in his hand, standing by the stairs.

"Um, yeah. What about you?" I said, turning back to look outside.

Dom shrugged and sat down on a chair at the bottom of the stairs. "Brian's awake too. He's watching Letty for me." he said casually, taking a swig of his beer.

We stayed in silence for about 10 minutes when I spoke, "Hey Dom. Have you ever had a very close friend that broke a promise that meant everything to you?" I asked, turning to look at him.

Dom looked confused for a second but then gave a small smile. "It's about him, isn't it?"

I huffed. "Just answer the question, Toretto." I chided him half-heartedly.

Dom gave a chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "I've been through a lot in life and yes, there were instances when those close to me have broken a promise. Betrayed me, even." he uttered. 

This clearly wasn't a surprise. But I couldn't help but _be_   _surprised_ that he even admitted that he was ever betrayed by close friends.

"With that, you grow stronger and more confident. You can be wise enough in making life decisions. It may not be easy to forgive and forget but we'd come to that conclusion sometime before our time comes. Eventually." he finished.

I nodded. "In the end, we just come to the conclusion that we just forgive and eventually forget. I don't know if I can do that. Not in this lifetime, I don't know." I shrugged.

"Care to share?" he said.

I pursed my lips. Only Gisele and Brian knew what exactly went down between Storm Shadow and I, all the fun times we had and all the bickering and competition during my stay in the dojo. I know I could trust Dom with this but wouldn't I feel embarrassed sharing everything from my past all over again. But I owe this to Dom. 

"Well, it's been years since I last saw Storm Shadow. I don't know him personally anymore. He was easy to track and I'd always find him in places around the world doing jobs that consisted of killing. Thing was, I never had the courage to face him, demand answers and...I don't know. I'd just stare at the guy from afar, that's just it. That guy from 10 years old when he left me with a promise to come back after finding the Hard Master's killer. He just kept delaying it for some reason. The things he had to sacrifice for. I was there to witness it." I shook my head at the memory of the nightmare and when I found out he was infested with nanomites that seemed to alter his memories and a bit of his personality.

Dom was quiet. I knew he understood how I felt. He knew how painful it is to suffer your whole life from just an early age due to negative factors of life itself.

After awhile, he spoke. "But he finally did it in the end. And he's here, trying to make up for the years lost. But it seems you keep brushing him off."

I sighed heavily. "It's not that easy with everything that I've been through. After joining the Joes as a top-secret ninja assassin, I faced him countless times without him knowing who's behind the mask. I've seen how he was hell-bent on killing others and how he's the type of person to get the job done swiftly. He doesn't think twice. He'll just do what he needs to do without thinking what he's doing is right. I can't really put the whole blame on him. It's cause of those fucking nanomites that is still creeping in his body!!" my anger was on fierce fury right now. Even with Dom here, I couldn't help it.

Dom gave me a sympathetic smile. "So it's that bad, huh? But I got to tell you this, Storm Shadow is actually a cool dude."

I widened my eyes at this. What exactly happened? "Mind explaining as to why he's a cool guy?" I was completely baffled.

"I didn't think he'd try to make conversation with Letty and I. At first, we didn't really mind him cause we now know that he's not the type to make small talk. Then he suddenly asked about you. How you came to be this confident and fierce person, unlike the you before. How you met us, how you learned to drive those fast cars, how you decided to get that tattoo on your neck, everything that we witnessed in your life." he said with a small smile, taking another swig of beer.

My mouth hung open from what Dom said. He asked every little thing about my life with the them. I don't blame Dom and Letty for telling all but it kind of warms my heart that he wanted to know as much. What amuses me is that he wanted to know how I got my arabic tattoo on the side of my neck. I touched it.

 _Rogue_ (arabic tatto)

"He's still an ass though. He's such a flirt by the way if you haven't noticed." I drawled.

"I noticed. But you really should try giving him a chance at some point. You can't stay mad forever or you'll end up getting wrinkles at a young age." he joked.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." I said sarcastically. After a minute of comfortable silence, I decided to head in back to sleep.

"Thanks for everything, Dom. I'll head back in if you don't mind." I said, making my way to the stairs.

Dom gave a nod. "I've got your back."

I headed back to my bunk bed. Thankfully, no one else was awake when I got there. It seemed that Brian dozed off when I looked at his direction. I snuck a quick peek at Storm Shadow's bed a few places down. Surprisingly, he was sitting up straight, his back turned to me staring into nothingness.

I thought of approaching him but I hesitated. Dom was right, I should give this guy a chance. But it's too sudden if I do just that. I should play hard to get a bit. I smiled to myself thinking of possible scenarios that I could play out.

Once again, I looked back at his place, to my utmost horror, he was staring right back at me. Holy shit. It's a damn good thing it's quite dark that he couldn't see me panic silently and a blush that crept up on my cheek but he could damn well see someone standing. I pretty much know that he knows it's me so I silently scramble up the ladder as to not wake Gisele and hastily cover myself in blankets despite it felt hot. I turned to the other side and lay down there staring blankly ahead and wondering if he stopped looking at me.

After a few minutes, I moved slightly to the other side to check and to my relief, he was back to lying down on his bunk bed. 

I sighed softly and closed my eyes. Bringing down Cobra Commander was going to take a lot of hard work and effort. With the Joes, the Arashikage clan and my family, I think we make one hella great of a team.

I really hope that making up with Storm Shadow one of these days will be the best decision I've ever made.


End file.
